I got it finished! And guess what? I got it posted on it's designated due date! I pressed myself to write this today, and I spent five hours on it. The hardest part to write was the beginning, but I forged it the best way I could. I worked extremely hard on this and I'm going to continue to update this story before or on every Sunday. If it's not finished by then expect one or two days after the date. Alright, I hope you enjoy and please review! :D

AN: As you may or may not know, I posted a chapter up telling you why chapter 8 might be late. Well, due to the reasons I gave, I think my writing style has changed and made it worse, so tell me how this chapter was and tell me how you like it, and people who have read my previous chapters, tell me if it's improved or gotten worse (Run-on sentence for-the-win! xP). Thanks for your support!

Approximate words in Chapter 8: (2,327)

Chapter 8

"Keep still!" Eclipsefoot ordered. Dawnpaw had been in the medicine cat's den for two sundowns since the dog attack, preventing Dawnpaw from his regular training sessions. Dawnpaw's wounds and bones had healed hastily, but his dislocated leg remained contemporary. The medicine cat was trying to push the leg back into place. "The sooner we finish, the sooner you can resume your apprentice tasks."

Dawnpaw flailed his healed limbs stubbornly, refusing to allow Eclipsefoot relocate his leg. "No!" he mewled, trying to resist future pain.

Ashstar and Twilightpaw were in the den, observing and trying to comfort him throughout the remedy. After another attempt, Eclipsefoot sighed, flicking her tail for Ashstar to come forward.

Ashstar nodded, padding over toward the medicine cat, dipping his head down so hear what Eclipsefoot wanted to assert. Dawnpaw observed, silently sending a prayer up to StarClan.

As soon as Eclipsefoot had finished murmuring in Ashstar's ear, Ashstar nodded and padded over toward Dawnpaw.

Dawnpaw observed Ashstar as he neared toward him, his light-gray fur glistening when he passed by the exit of the medicine cat's den as the blazing sun cascaded down upon him. Dawnpaw quickly remembered his latest dream about the shining cat who emerged from the scintillating stone in the rock cave.

Dawnpaw didn't recognize the cat that had emerged from the stone, and went on thinking about the strange cat, all thoughts about his dislocated leg ebbing away and continued to get wrapped inside his wondering thoughts. What if it had to do with the prophecy? He mumbled in his mind, Maybe StarClan was trying to send me a message?

Suddenly a big burst of pain flooded through his leg, allowing Dawnpaw to instantly release a mewl from his mouth. Fox dung! He screamed in his mind, I was too distracted to pay any attention to my dislocated leg!

Dawnpaw began to trace his gaze down where his leg was in an attempt to retaliate. His gaze led to Ashstar, who had a grasp on his leg with his teeth. Dawnpaw began to feel more pain rush through him like a fiery fire and Dawnpaw released another yowl of pain. Dawnpaw drew his lip back in a snarl at Ashstar in anger, but then the pain began to ebb away and his leg began to feel as good as new.

Ashstar released his grip on Dawnpaw's leg, letting out a sigh. "Dawnpaw," he started, "you may continue your apprentice duties tomorrow. Your leg is now relocated and it may need a day for it to fully heal. You are fit enough to resume your apprentice duties tomorrow."

Dawnpaw thought he felt his heart leap out of joy and he couldn't resist but squeak in excitement, all thoughts of the past vanishing for a few moments. Ashstar looked down, his gaze among Dawnpaw with a grin.

Twilightpaw began to pad over toward Dawnpaw as he began to try to see if he could pace with his newly relocated leg. "Can you move on it?" She asked eminently.

Dawnpaw returned her gaze blithely. "It feels perfect!" He beamed. "I feel like nothing ever happened . . ." He added the last part as memories of the attack began to attack his mind. Dawnpaw began to mumble words with his head tilted down, all reality fading away from his mind.

Twilightpaw tilted her head as she observed Dawnpaw's unusual behavior, and began to dab at his shoulder. "Dawnpaw . . ." She mewed hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

Dawnpaw could hear a voice in the background of his thoughts and rapid jabbing at his shoulder, bringing back reality. "Nothing." He gave himself a quick shake.

"Are you sure?" Twilightpaw mewed with a glance at Ashstar and Eclipsefoot, who were in a conversation on the other side of the den.

"Yes." Dawnpaw didn't want anyone to know about the prophecy he was given by StarClan when he didn't know much about it and he was still confused why he was chosen. He joined the Clan as a loner, and wasn't Clan-born. Then the memories of Swiftpelt's tales about Firestar jumped inside his mind. He wasn't Clan-born, so I guess I'm going through what Firestar had to perceive. Dawnpaw shook away his thoughts and returned Twilightpaw's gaze. "I'm just so excited about tomorrow! I have to make up my time that was lost though . . ."

Twilightpaw let out a mrrow of laughter. "You haven't missed anything worth a single bit of prey!" She meowed with laughter shaking her voice. When she noticed Dawnpaw's face was uncertain, she quickly mewed, "Don't worry, you'll get caught up. You'll learn quickly."

With those words finished, Ashstar began to pad toward Dawnpaw swiftly. He found a place in front of Dawnpaw. "I shall announce your recovery to the clan." With one last glance at Dawnpaw, he began to dash out of Eclipsefoot's den, finding a place on the Highrock.

Dawnpaw turned to Eclipsefoot, and back to Shadekit's motionless body. Shadekit was sleeping and seemed to be recovering. Her apprentice ceremony is already overdue and when she is perfectly healed, she'd be a perfect apprentice. Dawnpaw glared at Shadekit with sympathy, memory of the rogue flooding back in his mind and his cold words still ringing in his head: I'll be back, don't you forget it. You better watch your back.

A chill raced down Dawnpaw's heart rancorously. The rogue mentioned the name "Flare," but Dawnpaw couldn't recall who "Flare" was, and he never wished to meet the cat. Suddenly a realization jumped in his mind, making his mind race. The prophecy! Dawnpaw screeched in his mind, Flare might be the sun in the prophecy Bluefeather gave me! Dawnpaw's mind began to ponder back and forth, relentlessly trying to figure more about this abnormal mystery. Finally Dawnpaw's mind was made up, he had to try and find the rogues.

***

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting," Ashstar called the familiar words to address his clan forward. It was the evening, soon after Dawnpaw's leg was relocated. Ashstar was going to announce Dawnpaw's recovery to the Clan.

Cats began to emerge from their dens and began to gather around the Highrock, awaiting Ashstar's announcement. Dawnpaw, Twilightpaw, and Eclipsefoot still remained in Eclipsefoot's den when he had called his clan to the Highrock, and they quickly paced themselves out of the den's entrance to listen to Ashstar.

Dawnpaw was the last of the cats to leave the den due to his overwhelming thoughts wrapping themselves around his mind, completely deleting the existence of reality from Dawnpaw's mind. He had decided to venture to find the rogues, but he had no idea where he could start looking, and it required to temporarily leave his clan. As the thoughts were deeply seeped inside Dawnpaw's mind, Dawnpaw's eyes caught a gray shape emerging from the apprentices' den.

Dawnpaw forced his thoughts to be shut away and began to lift his head more to find out who the cat was. Dawnpaw's heart lurched when he noticed it was Jadepaw; the cat who was angry with Dawnpaw for an unknown reason; the cat who was never with him when he was injured in Eclipsefoot's den; the cat who he used to be able to call "friend." Dawnpaw sighed, beginning to pad toward him but stopped in his pawsteps when he heard Ashstar begin to speak.

"As you know," Ashstar began, "Dawnpaw was attacked by a Twoleg's dog while on patrol with Ferntail, Emberpelt, and Maplefeather two evenings ago." Ashstar turned his gaze from the crowd of cats to Dawnpaw quickly, then looked back down on the crowd. "I ordered patrols around that part of the territory and they reported that the dog has fled our territory, thanks to Twilightpaw, who drove the dog away from ThunderClan."

Dawnpaw turned to Twilightpaw, who was with Jadepaw, laying down next to him with her fur pressed against him. Dawnpaw felt a feeling run through his body, the same one he had felt when Twilightpaw was curled up with him when he was injured, except a little different. The difference seemed to be rancor. She had been the one of the only cat of the clan to stay with him when he was injured in Eclipsefoot's den. The feeling still remained to surge through him, and Dawnpaw began to realize what it was. Am I jealous that shes with Jadepaw, instead of me? The thought seemed to be conquering him. Am I in love with her?

Shaking the thoughts away, he returned to listen to Ashstar, the thought still clinging to him a bit. "Dawnpaw had major injuries that led him to temporary unconsciousness. Strangely, he healed really quickly. Dawnpaw is now able to return to his apprentice tasks tomorrow." Ashstar turned to Dawnpaw and pointed with his nose toward him to signal the crowd where he was.

The crowd began to yowl blissfully, turning to Dawnpaw. Embarrassment flooded through Dawnpaw and he began to scrape the earth with his paws.

Jadepaw turned to glance at Dawnpaw, then he turned his gaze back to Twilightpaw, affectionately sharing tongues with her. Jealousy scratched at Dawnpaw's heart, and he turned to stalk away inside the apprentices' den before the meeting was announced over. Lightpaw, who was sitting at the foot of the Highrock, noticed Dawnpaw angrily pressing himself through the entrance of the apprentices' den and broke away from the crowd when Ashstar ended the meeting and padded inside his den.

Dawnpaw lay on his moss-bedding, trying to hold back his tears. He loved Twilightpaw, but she had no idea of his feelings. Twilightpaw was always with Jadepaw, so that meant that she loves Jadepaw, not him. Suddenly, Dawnpaw noticed movement coming near the entrance of the den and he quickly tried to hide his dejected mood. Dawnpaw quickly recognized who was heading toward him. It was Lightpaw, her golden brown fur giving it away.

Dawnpaw tried to hide his tears, but it was useless. He began to bawl like a starving newborn kit. Lightpaw's ears pricked in alarm and began to bound toward him, hoping to cheer him up. She jolted inside the den and began to lay next to him, pressing her fur up against his. "What's the matter?" She asked sympathetically.

Dawnpaw refused to return her gaze. "Nothing . . ." His throat felt stiff and his voice cracked with emotion.

"There has to be something wrong!" She argued, but kept her voice soft. "Why can't you tell me?"

Dawnpaw glanced up at her, wondering if he should tell her. Before consciously deciding in his mind, he didn't realize he was already spilling everything about Twilightpaw and his love for her. She listened optimistically, ears pricked with interest. "And she's always with Jadepaw. . ." He finished, refusing to tell anymore.

Lightpaw looked bewildered, but sympathetic. "Don't worry," Lightpaw mewed, "I'm going through the same exact thing."

Dawnpaw's ears pricked with interest. Could she be in love with Jadepaw? "What do you mean?" Dawnpaw asked curiously, but without an answer, Lightpaw bounded out of the den and headed over to Eclipsefoot's den. She's probably gone to check on Shadekit... He conjectured in his mind, trying to fight the thought that she left to get away from him.

Dawnpaw pushed all of his thoughts about Jadepaw and Twilightpaw aside, and began to pad out of the den to look up in the sky. He didn't care anymore about what Twilightpaw or Jadepaw thought of him, even all of ThunderClan, and began to think about the rogue and his strange dream. I have to find out more of this prophecy, he decided in his mind, even if I die trying. No one cares if I leave, so this will be the perfect chance to prove myself to ThunderClan. I'll leave when I'm made a warrior and hopefully... it won't be too late.

Okay, a lot of "love drama" at the end. xD; I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review! :